PROSTATE CANCER
10th February 2022
Nearly all men will experience some erectile dysfunction for the first few months after prostate cancer treatment or a radical prostatectomy.
A degree and severity of erectile dysfunction usually occurs right after surgery to remove the prostate, regardless the type of surgery, stage of cancer and the skill of the surgeon to try to spare the nerve that controls erections.
If the nerve-sparing technique is used, recovery from erectile dysfunction may occur within the first two years following the procedure. The lack of spontaneous and nocturnal erections after radical prostatectomy results in hypoxia of cavernosal tissue, which might lead to apoptosis. Recovery of erectile function after a non-nerve-sparing surgery is unlikely, but possible. Therefore, overcoming hypoxia is believed to play a crucial role during neuropraxia in penile rehabilitation.
The use of a vacuum erection device and erectile dysfunction drugs after the body has healed from surgery may improve the quality of erections and speed the return of normal sexual function. As penile rehabilitation plays an integral role in male recovery, a vacuum erection device, such as the Vacurect, can be used to regain and maintain erectile function pre and post radical prostatectomy.